When it comes to big sporting occasions – they don’t come any bigger than the Olympics. But with corporate sponsors and competitor brands looking to also leverage it – how could we help adidas stand out from the crowd in the competitive Asian market. Using adidas’ long-standing association with sporting excellence designed to strengthen its leadership position, the ‘888’ campaign was created to run in the period leading up to the ultimate sporting event, the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Faced with the enormous restrictions in using the Olympics sponsorship property, our insight led us to the fact that one of the biggest headline grabbers is always the countdown to the games. This provided the the core creative truth to the Beijing 888 retail campaign. Simple and effective, the number ‘888’ was inspired by the commencement date of the Beijing Olympics and carries with it connotations of prosperity and luck all across the Asia region.
The campaign brought consumers closer to the Olympics experience by encouraging them to show their support for their countries through wearing adidas Olympic apparel. Helping drive this purchase was a core retail promotion that saw consumers win trips to Beijing to attend the Olympic Games. Engaging and rewarding the campaign ensured that the adidas brand became synonymous with the Olympics throughout the run up and duration of the games.
